Bracket for a movable shower curtain rod



June 18, 1957 c, COAKLEY BRACKET FOR A MOVABLE SHOWER CURTAIN ROD F iled March 5. 1954- Uaited; States Patent BRACKET FOR A MOVABLE SHOWER CURTAIN ROD Claude A. Coakley, Tulsa, Okla.

Application March 5, 1954, Serial No. 414,361

1 Claim. (Cl. 248-264) This invention relates to improvements in the mounting of rods and in particular to the mounting of a rod for a shower or bath curtain. Such a rod is conventionally fixedly mounted at its ends to the walls of a bathroom above the outer side of a tub and, therefore, the curtain, hanging from the rod, can only hang straight down along the side of the tub.

It is the primary object of this invention to mount the ends of the shower curtain rod in a pair of slotted brackets so that the rod can be moved in a straight vertical line upwardly and then in a straight horizontal line inwardly of the tub to a point where it coincides approximately with the longitudinal center line of the tub and the curtain hangs down along the center of the tub. The curtain can thus drain into the center of the tub and has complete ventilation and drippage of water on the out-side of the tub or top of the outer side is avoided.

A further object of this invention is to provide a pair of brackets for receiving the ends of a shower curtain rod, each bracket being in the shape of an inverted L, that is, having a vertical leg and a horizontal leg, such legs being at right angles and being formed with communicating axial slots.

Another object of this invention is to provide convex means on the ends of a rod that will easily and freely ride in the slots and will prevent binding.

These and ancillary objects and structural features of merit are attained by this invention, the preferred embodiments of which are shown in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a bath tub and shower rod assemblage, showing the rod mounted in accordance with this invention and showing the two positions of the rod and curtain;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view of one end of the rod, showing the bracket in vertical section;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view of one end of the bracket showing one form of retaining means for the end of the rod;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 and showing another form of retaining means, and,

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the bracket per se.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, the numeral designates a conventional type tub which is built in between end walls 12. conventionally, the shower rod 14 is fixed at its ends to the walls and overlies the outer side 16 of the tub. Thus, the curtain 18 hangs down alongside the side 16 and water draining therefrom, as it dries, spills onto the side and, quite frequently, leaves puddles on the fioor. Also, the curtain is usually pushed, in accordion fashion, to one end of the rod, where it is left to dry and being in folds, it lacks proper ventilation to dry quickly and properly.

My invention resides in the provision of mounting means for the ends of the rod 14 so that it can be moved from the dotted, in use position of Fig. 1 to the full line, curtain drying position of Fig. 1. To accomplish this, the ends 20 of the rod are convexed and the rod "ice is formed, at its ends, with axial bores 22 to receive the shanks 24 of headed pins 26, which are prefitted in the bores and which have enlarged disc-like heads 28. The heads have convexed side surfaces and the inside surface is spaced from the convexed ends of the rod. The periphery of the heads is flat forming a flat rim.

The heads 28 are adapted to ride in brackets 30, which are mounted on the wall-s 12 as shown in Fig. 1. The brackets include inner and outer L-shaped fiat sections 32 and 34, respectively. The sections are coextensive in width and length and are fixedly superimposed onto the wall. The inner section 32 has a vertical leg 36 and a horizontal leg 38, the legs having axial slots spaced inwardly from their free ends. The slots communicate at their inner ends to form a continuous, inverted substantially L-shaped slot 40. The outer section 34 also has a vertical leg 42 and a horizontal leg 44, each having an axial slot, spaced inwardly from its free end, to form a continuous, inverted L-shaped trackway 46, which is of less width than the slot 40.

As can be seen in Fig. 2, the width of the slot 40 is sufiicient to receive the head 28, which rides on the bottom bounding wall of the slot, while the width of the slot or trackway 46 is just sufficient to receive the shank 24, which rides on the bottom bounding wall thereof. The slots 40 and 46 have their bounding walls curved at the juncture of the legs, as shown in Fig. 5, so that the head and shank can freely move from a vertical plane to a horizontal plane in traveling axially of the legs.

As can be seen in Fig. 2, the convex end 20 of the rod and the convex sides of the head insure that the ends of the rod will not bind in the brackets.

The ends of the sections are formed with registering pairs of openings to receive screws for fastening them on the walls. The openings 48 in the outer section are countersunk to receive the heads of the screws.

It is understood that the sections are completely separate and are held tightly together by the screws. Thus, to position the heads 28 in the brackets, the outer section is formed with a suitable assembly means.

In the form shown in Fig. 3, the slot 46 has a semicircular extension 50 which laterally communicates with the slot and is formed in the upper bounding wall thereof at the outer end of the horizontal portion thereof, that is, in the leg 44. The extension 50 forms a circular opening with the slot, which opening is of a sutlicient diameter to permit the head 28 to pass laterally therethrough. However, when the sections are fastened together onto the wall, the extension will be out of registry with the slot 40 and will lie above the upper bounding wall thereof so that the head cannot be accidentally pulled out through the slot 46.

In Fig. 4, the slot 46 has a circular cut-out 52 formed at its outer closed end in the leg 44', the outer portion of the cut-out 52 normally being out of registry with the slot 40' in the leg 38, since it extends beyond the end of such slot.

With either form of assembly means, the heads 28 on the ends of the rod are passed laterally through the outer section 32 and positioned in the slots 40. The sections-are then fastened onto the walls 12 so that the vertical legs thereof are in the same vertical plane, preferably the plane of the side 18 of the tub, and the horizontal legs are in the same horizontal plane, normal to the vertical legs. In such positions, the sections cooperate with their slots to provide inverted L-shaped trackways in which the heads 28 and shanks 24 ride. The rod is thus movable inwardly in a horizontal plane to a point inwardly of the side of the tub.

The shower curtain is, therefore, raised upwardly and moved inwardly to a point where it assumes a raised, inward position, extending approximately along the center line of the tub. In such position, it will be stretched out and can drain into the center of the tub, so that the draining Water will quickly flow to the tub outlet and so that the curtain will be entirely ventilated.

While the best known forms of this invention have been described herein and shown in the drawing, such is merely for exemplary purposes and the scope of the invention is only limited by the appended claim.

I claim:

For use in movably mounting a shower curtain rod, a bracket for receiving an end extension on the rod comprising a pair of inverted L-shaped inner and outer sections, said sections being coextensive in Width and length and having vertical leg portions and horizontal leg portions laterally extending from the upper ends of the vertical leg portions, said leg portions of the inner sec tion having axial slots which communicate at the juncture of the leg portions to define an inverted L-shaped trackway in the inner section, said leg portions of the outer section having axial slots of less width than the slots in the inner section and centrally disposed thereof, said slots in the leg portions of the outer section communicating at the juncture of the leg portions to define an inverted L-shaped trackway in the outer section, one of said leg portions of the outer section having a cut-out communicating with the slot therein and forming an offset enlargement thereof, said cut-out cooperating with the slot to laterally receive the end extension and being out of registry with the slot in the inner section when the sections are secured together.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

